TVs Lose Ground to Multiscreen Devices

According to Accenture's (NYSE:ACN) "Digital Video and the Connected Consumer" report, the TV set's popularity as the go-to entertainment device may be ending. The TV set was the only product category to see uniform, double-digit usage declines across different types of media worldwide among viewers of nearly all ages last year. Consumers are increasingly turning to a combination of laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones for multiscreen viewing of video content.

The report indicates that video consumption any time, anywhere, has become mainstream, accelerating the decline of traditional TV viewing. Viewership for long form video content, such as movies and TV shows on a TV screen, has declined by 13% globally over the past year and by 11% in the United States. Similarly, the report indicates that sports viewership on TV screens declined by 10% globally and 9% in the United States.

Nearly all age brackets reported double-digit declines in TV viewing globally, with 14- to 17-year-olds abandoning the TV screen at the rate of 33% for movies and TV shows and 26% for sporting events. The decline continues for 18- to 34-year-olds at 14% for movies and TV shows and 12% for sporting events, and for 35- to 54-year-olds, at 11% and 9%, respectively. It flattens among those 55 and older, at 6% and 1% respectively.

The report indicates that 37% of consumers own a combination of smartphones, laptops/desktops, and tablets. Among those who plan to buy a TV set, 61% expect to buy a connected TV, and 25% are planning to buy a 4K TV, an increase of 7% over last year.